Not only is Tiptree the biggest village in Essex, it's one of the biggest in the UK.

Situated just seven miles from Maldon, it boasts three major supermarket brands, five schools and an array of takeaway restaurants. It doesn't scream 'village'.

But Tiptree is renowned for its traffic problems and some of the 11,000 residents who call it home are becoming increasingly concerned about the lack of available health care facilities. And those fears could soon worsen.

Plans have been submitted to build another 275 homes on Maldon Road - the main, and arguably busiest, route in and out of the village.

Some residents are concerned that, should the plans go ahead, it could have "unmanageable" consequences.

What are the plans?

There will be plenty of open public space should the plans be approved (Image: Colchester Borough Council)

Submitted to Colchester Borough Council in July, the proposal puts forward the potential construction of 275 new homes in vacant land towards the west of the village.

The build, which has been proposed by Bloor Homes, would also see the introduction of resident car parking, landscaping, public open space areas, a new drainage system and a link road.

A new parent drop-off area for Tiptree Heath Primary School will also be built, with the site located directly opposite the entrance to the school.

Of the 275 homes, the majority will be 2/2.5-storey properties, consisting of a mixture of two, three and four bedrooms.

The proposal also aims to provide 30% affordable housing, with the provisional mix offering 80% as shared ownership and 20% for rent.

The full plans - what do they include?

According to the planning statement, these are all the proposed developments for the site:

Development of the site to provide up to 275 dwellings

Predominately 2/2.5 storey accommodation

30% affordable housing

On-plot parking for all units in accordance with local policy requirements

Private amenity space for all units in accordance with local policy requirements

Provision of a landscaping scheme throughout the site

Provision of 2.67 hectares of public open space, consisting of recreational areas, LEAP, SuDS and a trim track

Improved public routes for pedestrians and cyclists throughout the site

Provision of a parent-drop off area for Tiptree Heath Primary School

The site would open up a range of housing benefits, providing affordable properties for residents of all ages. But residents have been quick to point out the possible drawbacks.

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"The fix is not another surgery as it is known that there is a shortage of doctors who choose the GP route. With another 275 houses, even if they only had two persons per house that is another 550 residents, but realistically it would be more like 900."

Another resident, in Francis Close, added: "Tiptree does not have the infrastructure to support such a development. The GP surgery does not have the capacity for the additional growth.

"It is already considerably oversubscribed."

More busy roads and traffic chaos

An entrance to the site will be connected to Maldon Road

During rush hour, it can prove difficult to get in and out of the village in good time.

Traffic feeds onto Maldon Road from surrounding residential estates, which can prove tricky with the flurry of vehicles making their way through the village on their way to and from work.

According to one Birkin Close resident, 275 new homes would simply make the traffic "unmanageable".

"The roads are extremely busy at present," they added. "More cars on the roads are going to make them unmanageable."

Another resident, who lives on West End Road, said: "Maldon Road is a very busy road at the best of times let alone when there has been an accident on the A12.

"It takes me up to 15 minutes to exit the junction of West End Road to enter the travel flow into Tiptree and towards the proposed location.

"A return home at peak travel time can leave me sitting in the centre of the road trying to turn right into West End Road for ten minutes."

The school drop off point will be located just inside the entrance to the site (Image: Colchester Borough Council)

A resident on Hall Road, which joins onto one of the most tricky junctions with Maldon Road, has also expressed their concern.

They said: "The report states that local facilities are within a 2km walking distance. This is a planning and drawing board fantasy.

"People do not walk to the shops on a daily basis to get their groceries as they might have done in days gone by.

"A weekly shop is now the popular choice of most busy families these days which will increase traffic flow through what is already becoming a congested high road with not enough parking spaces at either of the supermarkets to cope with the increased customer base."

Not everyone favours the drop-off zone

There is limited parking available for parents to drop off their children

According to the planning statement for the proposals, the development looks to "mitigate any problems with car parking at Tiptree Heath Primary School by providing a designated drop-off area for parents".

There is also a plan for a two-metre-wide central refuge to be built to facilitate pedestrian crossing movements from the site to the school.

However, some residents are still against the plans.

One Morley Road resident said: "The drop-off zone for the primary school is inadequate, given that parents mainly park and walk their children to the school gate.

"Given the nature of the road, a lot of children are too young to be trusted without one-to-one adult supervision near a busy road. This zone would not park all the cars that park in the surrounding roads."

The proposals include plans for a new drop off point for parents

Another resident, also from Birkin Close, added: "This in my opinion will increase the risk, with the children being between the ages of four and 11 the majority of their parents do not drop off, they actually go into the school playground.

"So unless this area is set out for the parking of 30 cars it will not benefit the school or local residents. This causes congestion on Peakes Close and Birkin Close which has resulted in many complaints from residents over the years.

"A drop-off point will increase traffic and cause more problems than it solves."

'Too many people too far from the shops'

In its proposed location, the Maldon Road development is around a mile from the middle of the village.

It means that residents living on the outskirts of Tiptree are often forced to drive in to the high street, especially when it comes to doing the big weekly shop.

And some residents believe the increase in residents with the new development will only worsen the existing situation.

"There is no shop within reasonable walking distance from this area of Tiptree," one Birkin Close resident said. "I have a two-year-old and I know when I merely want to walk to Tesco to get some milk, this can take me 40 minutes minimum.

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"This isn't a walkable distance, therefore this means all these new residents will be driving. More cars on the roads again."

A Maldon Road resident added: "It is likely that the majority of the residents will drive to the centre of the village to shop, especially during the winter weather conditions.

"Anyone who has attempted to park in Tesco or Asda in the village over the weekend will know that it is difficult to find a parking space. Adding another 275 residents will only make matters worse."

Some residents are for the plans

The new homes will be built on this site, opposite Tiptree Heath Primary School

But for some, the idea of bringing more residents to the village is a positive.

One resident claims that extra homes could attract more doctors and dentists to the area, therefore reducing the strain on the existing services.

"Perhaps if they build all these extra homes maybe another dentist might want to move into the area as they'd have more business," they said.

"Maybe the doctors surgery will be able to entice a new doctor with more people to treat. Maybe all these extra people will increase all the local businesses' income, especially the local garages with the extra 1,000 cars in Tiptree.

"Change is not always a bad thing."

Recent builds

News of the potential new development on Maldon Road comes just months after work was completed on the Nine Acres estate on the other side of the village.

The build, which is located opposite Wilkin & Sons Jam Factory, includes a variety of modern apartments and houses, ranging from one to five bedrooms.

But the development has also attracted its fair share of criticism, sparking safety fears on nearby junctions due to the increase in traffic in the area.

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And that's not the only new development. Houses are being erected close to the Colchester United training ground on Kelvedon Road, a build that has also attracted criticism from health figures due to the over-subscription of the village's health care facilities.

Colchester Borough Council to 'consider' the responses

A spokesperson for Colchester Borough Council said: “The case officer is reviewing the scheme in the light of the council’s planning policies and will carefully consider consultation responses and representations submitted, in order to make a recommendation in due course.”

Bloor Homes have also been approached for comment.

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